In today's digital age, social media platforms enable people to bridge geographic distances and connect with their friends, family, and community, no matter where they are. According to a 2022 Gallup and Meta study, at least 1 in 3 people across seven countries, including the U.S., said they used social media to interact with others at least once a day in the past week.

While social media has its drawbacks—such as exacerbating attention issues or fostering a problematic comparison culture—it remains a vital tool for helping people stay connected.

A majority of grade 3 to 12 students said social media helped them develop relationships, learn social skills, and make a positive impact in their community, according to a 2024 report from The Social Institute.

Spokeo compiled a ranking of 50 pairs of the most socially connected counties in America using 2021 data from Facebook. County pairs were ranked by their social connectedness index, which measures the relative probability that two individuals across two locations are friends with each other on Facebook. The social connectedness index is a scaled value up to a billion. Larger indexes indicate a greater share of Facebook friends between county pairs.

Some county pairs in the top 50 share similarities like population size, geographic proximity, or demographic composition. For example, the second-ranked pair of Faulkner and Saline County in Arkansas both have similar population sizes, age and racial distributions, and per capita incomes, according to Census data.

For this ranking, only nonneighboring counties with populations over 100,000 were considered, based on the 2023 Census estimates. Connecticut was excluded from the analysis because the Facebook data predates the Census' shift to reporting planning regions instead of counties.

#50. Franklin County, Pennsylvania and Berkeley County, West Virginia

- Franklin County population: 157,854
- Berkeley County population: 132,440
- Social connectedness index: 234,903

#49. Wood County, Ohio and Monroe County, Michigan

- Wood County population: 132,650
- Monroe County population: 155,045
- Social connectedness index: 235,864

#48. Cleveland County and Catawba County (North Carolina)

- Cleveland County population: 101,378
- Catawba County population: 164,645
- Social connectedness index: 236,647

#47. Harford County and Baltimore (Maryland)

- Harford County population: 264,644
- Baltimore population: 565,239
- Social connectedness index: 238,615

#46. Alamance County and Durham County (North Carolina)

- Alamance County population: 179,165
- Durham County population: 336,892
- Social connectedness index: 239,354

#45. Minnehaha County and Pennington County (South Dakota)

- Minnehaha County population: 206,930
- Pennington County population: 115,903
- Social connectedness index: 239,738

#44. York County and Androscoggin County (Maine)

- York County population: 218,586
- Androscoggin County population: 113,765
- Social connectedness index: 240,612

#43. Floyd County and Paulding County (Georgia)

- Floyd County population: 100,113
- Paulding County population: 183,164
- Social connectedness index: 240,985

#42. Peoria County and McLean County (Illinois)

- Peoria County population: 177,513
- McLean County population: 170,441
- Social connectedness index: 242,516

#41. Utah County and Washington County (Utah)

- Utah County population: 719,174
- Washington County population: 202,452
- Social connectedness index: 245,507

#40. Clermont County, Ohio and Kenton County, Kentucky

- Clermont County population: 211,972
- Kenton County population: 171,321
- Social connectedness index: 247,561

#39. Macon County and Champaign County (Illinois)

- Macon County population: 100,591
- Champaign County population: 205,644
- Social connectedness index: 251,685

#38. Hawai'i County and Maui County (Hawai'i)

- Hawai'i County population: 207,615
- Maui County population: 164,183
- Social connectedness index: 252,346

#37. San Juan County, New Mexico and Navajo County, Arizona

- San Juan County population: 120,675
- Navajo County population: 109,175
- Social connectedness index: 253,212

#36. Ouachita Parish and Bossier Parish (Louisiana)

- Ouachita Parish population: 157,568
- Bossier Parish population: 129,795
- Social connectedness index: 255,371

#35. Chesapeake and Hampton (Virginia)

- Chesapeake population: 253,886
- Hampton population: 137,098
- Social connectedness index: 256,337

#34. Cass County and Clay County (Missouri)

- Cass County population: 111,732
- Clay County population: 259,772
- Social connectedness index: 256,581

#33. Wright County and Anoka County (Minnesota)

- Wright County population: 151,150
- Anoka County population: 372,441
- Social connectedness index: 257,174

#32. Kanawha County and Monongalia County (West Virginia)

- Kanawha County population: 174,805
- Monongalia County population: 107,718
- Social connectedness index: 257,769

#31. Washington County and Sebastian County (Arkansas)

- Washington County population: 261,549
- Sebastian County population: 129,098
- Social connectedness index: 258,545

#30. Douglas County and Lancaster County (Nebraska)

- Douglas County population: 589,540
- Lancaster County population: 326,716
- Social connectedness index: 259,564

#29. Shelby County and Tuscaloosa County (Alabama)

- Shelby County population: 233,000
- Tuscaloosa County population: 237,373
- Social connectedness index: 262,856

#28. Ascension Parish and Terrebonne Parish (Louisiana)

- Ascension Parish population: 131,632
- Terrebonne Parish population: 103,616
- Social connectedness index: 267,878

#27. Craven County and Onslow County (North Carolina)

- Craven County population: 102,391
- Onslow County population: 213,676
- Social connectedness index: 271,594

#26. St. Charles County and St. Louis (Missouri)

- St. Charles County population: 416,659
- St. Louis population: 281,754
- Social connectedness index: 273,316

#25. Richland County and Florence County (South Carolina)

- Richland County population: 425,138
- Florence County population: 137,214
- Social connectedness index: 287,627

#24. Pulaski County and Craighead County (Arkansas)

- Pulaski County population: 400,009
- Craighead County population: 113,993
- Social connectedness index: 289,498

#23. Kalamazoo County and Berrien County (Michigan)

- Kalamazoo County population: 262,215
- Berrien County population: 152,261
- Social connectedness index: 289,684

#22. Johnson County and Hendricks County (Indiana)

- Johnson County population: 167,819
- Hendricks County population: 186,387
- Social connectedness index: 298,606

#21. Washington County and Providence County (Rhode Island)

- Washington County population: 129,982
- Providence County population: 660,615
- Social connectedness index: 303,860

#20. Greene County and Miami County (Ohio)

- Greene County population: 169,691
- Miami County population: 110,876
- Social connectedness index: 304,952

#19. Cache County and Davis County (Utah)

- Cache County population: 142,393
- Davis County population: 373,207
- Social connectedness index: 312,971

#18. Lubbock County and Randall County (Texas)

- Lubbock County population: 320,940
- Randall County population: 148,255
- Social connectedness index: 313,938

#17. Wicomico County, Maryland and Kent County, Delaware

- Wicomico County population: 104,800
- Kent County population: 189,789
- Social connectedness index: 315,267

#16. Lafayette Parish and Calcasieu Parish (Louisiana)

- Lafayette Parish population: 249,750
- Calcasieu Parish population: 203,761
- Social connectedness index: 316,119

#15. Linn County and Black Hawk County (Iowa)

- Linn County population: 228,972
- Black Hawk County population: 130,471
- Social connectedness index: 324,778

#14. Montgomery County and Lee County (Alabama)

- Montgomery County population: 224,980
- Lee County population: 183,215
- Social connectedness index: 333,533

#13. Vanderburgh County, Indiana and Daviess County, Kentucky

- Vanderburgh County population: 179,810
- Daviess County population: 103,458
- Social connectedness index: 343,317

#12. Pitt County and Wayne County (North Carolina)

- Pitt County population: 175,119
- Wayne County population: 118,686
- Social connectedness index: 357,932

#11. East Baton Rouge Parish and Tangipahoa Parish (Louisiana)

- East Baton Rouge Parish population: 448,467
- Tangipahoa Parish population: 138,064
- Social connectedness index: 381,612

#10. Gallatin County and Yellowstone County (Montana)

- Gallatin County population: 126,409
- Yellowstone County population: 170,843
- Social connectedness index: 411,299

#9. Kennebec County and Penobscot County (Maine)

- Kennebec County population: 127,259
- Penobscot County population: 155,312
- Social connectedness index: 416,342

#8. Suffolk and Norfolk (Virginia)

- Suffolk population: 100,659
- Norfolk population: 230,930
- Social connectedness index: 439,181

#7. Walton County and Clarke County (Georgia)

- Walton County population: 106,702
- Clarke County population: 129,933
- Social connectedness index: 470,595

#6. Platte County and Jackson County (Missouri)

- Platte County population: 111,940
- Jackson County population: 718,560
- Social connectedness index: 474,726

#5. Cass County and Burleigh County (North Dakota)

- Cass County population: 196,362
- Burleigh County population: 100,012
- Social connectedness index: 508,766

#4. Rensselaer County and Schenectady County (New York)

- Rensselaer County population: 159,305
- Schenectady County population: 159,902
- Social connectedness index: 573,234

#3. Richmond and Hanover County (Virginia)

- Richmond population: 229,247
- Hanover County population: 114,148
- Social connectedness index: 626,316

#2. Faulkner County and Saline County (Arkansas)

- Faulkner County population: 129,951
- Saline County population: 129,574
- Social connectedness index: 626,960

#1. Aiken County, South Carolina and Columbia County, Georgia

- Aiken County population: 177,130
- Columbia County population: 165,162
- Social connectedness index: 677,441

Data reporting by Karim Noorani. Story editing by Carren Jao. Additional editing by Kelly Glass. Copy editing by Tim Bruns.

This story originally appeared on Spokeo and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.